Hello from Indiana, Keeping a smoker going can indeed be a frustration. As a small child watching my father work his bees I remember him using old rags. They came from worn out clothing and I am sure that some of it was from jeans. When I started to keep bees I too used rags. Most clothing was made of cotton and it worked well as a fuel. As time went on I experimented with other fuels primarily because much clothing was starting to be combined with man made fibers and they did not burn well. The state bee inspector that was in my area used ground corn cob and it seemed to work well for him. You have to place a plug of cloth on top or the cobs will fall out if the smoker is tipped too far up. I tried corn cobs but did not care for them all that much. I finally settled on burlap and I still prefer it, if it is available. At one time most animal feed was shipped in burlap. Today feed is sold in paper or plastic. Many times you can find burlap at auctions. Some times it is chewed up by rats and mice but that makes no difference for smoker fuel and sometimes it goes for less money because of that reason. The point is, use what you have available. If you are in areas where cotton is grown it sounds like gleaning left over cotton from the field would be an ideal way to get good smoker fuel. The one caution is to make sure the material is natural and not man made. Even with the burlap I wash it before I use it to make sure that any chemical or residue is removed before I use it. Cardboard sounds like a good idea but some cardboard may be treated or coated with plastic. Just make sure the material you use is natural or you could possibly damage the bees. Keep you smoker going. Charlie Charles R. Bradley Marshall County Extension Office 112 W. Jefferson Street Room 304 Plymouth, IN 46563 Phone: 219-935-8545 Fax: 219-935-8612 E-Mail: [log in to unmask]